Arthurian Legends Effects on English Society

"He was only a man who had meant well, who had been spurred along the course of thinking by an eccentric necromancer with a weakness for humanity. Justice had been his last attempt-to do nothing which was not just. But it had ended in failure" (White, OAFK 634). The "he" in this passage refers to King Arthur, the main character in T.H. White's The Once and Future King and Book of Merlyn, who failed in his attempt to unite England due to the mistakes made by him and those close to him.

Since very few individuals could write, stories of Arthur were mainly told by word of mouth. Oral stories did not get written down until later; Geoffrey of Monmouth wrote down the stories as one of the first written manuscript of Arthurian legend in 1139. Word of mouth was the way in which Arthur's story is passed down through the years, and it is safe to assume that during that time, the story transformed and evolved. Stories are embellished and added to, depending on the audience, in order to make it more exciting. As discussed before in this paper, local tradition had placed Camelot in an area that was proven

There are many similarities between the two poems on King Arthur's death. One main similarity is Gawain tells Arthur in a dream he is going to die. Another major similarity in the two poems is Bedivere puts King Arthur on the barge to be taken to Avilon to be healed.

There are countless versions of the legend of King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table. Most English versions are based on Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, but where did these tales originate, and what different interpretations are there today? This essay seeks to examine the roots and different renditions of the various legends circulating today. The first section deals with the origins of the legend. The second section speculates on who the "real" King Arthur could have been. A comparison of several different versions, and suggestions of why they differ are given in the third section, and the conclusion presents an analysis on the ambiguity of the legend.

The events that have been described in the tale of King Arthur are not linked to any authentic historical events. For example, in the myth of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, when they were searching for the Holy Grail, it was described that they found the Grail but, in reality, the Grail was nowhere to be found. It is quite extreme to believe that the King himself and his

Next we need to cover what Camelot was. Camelot refers to the seat of the court of the knights of the round table. It is associated with King Arthur and his knights. It occurred

King Arthur was basically his own legacy. He was chosen to be King of Camelot by a magical power that made him worthy of Excalibur and King of Camelot. King Arthur almost theoretically built himself a new empire by making Camelot and

Arthur is considered a hero in almost every text that mentions him. In spite of this, though, more was written about adventures of his knights than of him personally (Chambers 155). It is said that Arthur existed not only to kill Saxons but also to be a Christian champion who killed pagans as well. Previous to anything the romantic French poets wrote about him, Arthur was glorified in writing for conducting aggressive wars, during which he conquered "fantastical" places. If he had, in fact, conquered real places, there would have been more written on these conquests since by the time he was active it would have been more controversial for him to attack and conquer foreign countries. However, there are three major battles that Arthur is connected to. One of the most controversial is the war that Arthur fought with the Roman empire. It is suggested by Geoffrey of Monmouth that Arthur's motivation to fight the Roman emperor did not come from the fact only that the emperor was seen as a pagan and sinner against God, but also because there was a rivalry between Arthur's "new" nation as opposed to Rome's old, worn-out nation. The Roman war is considered a "principal artery" of Arthurian legend, possibly next only to the

King Arthur and the knights of the round table belong to a long line of books and stories of the Arthurian legend. Merlin, Lancelot, The lady of the lake, King Arthur, and Excaliber are all very important in the Arthurian legend. In this essay we will talk about King Arthur, the knights of the round table, and Merlin in the famous story, The sword in the stone.

between the duel with king pellinore arthur lost the caliburn because he violate the chilvaries. but after that he got he excalibur that made in avalon. king arthur did a lot of great things. He won a lot battles, he found the holy grail and the greatest thing he did is set the knights of round table. The tknights can talk with king arthur equal in the round table. when king arthur sit in the round tablet, he turned a king to a great knight. and I think that still has a great influence in today's

Merriam-Webster's on-line dictionary defines chivalry as "the system, spirit, or customs of medieval knighthood." As Leon Gautier, author of Chivalry, defines this "system" and "spirit" of knighthood by identifying rules of chivalry, two of which are well illustrated in Lanval, "TheWife of Bath's Tale," and "The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnel:" "Thou shalt never lie, and shall remain faithful to thy pledged word," and "Thou shalt be generous, and give largess to everyone"(qtd. in Chivalry). All three stories seem to suggest the predominant theme of a knight living up to his word. This is shown by the fact that, in each story, the knight's oath is taken very seriously, is treated as a contract, and is

    In all the long history of literature, some fictional characters have loomed above others, written about again and again by various authors of various eras. Arthurian literature is one area of fiction that has always been popular for writers to recreate in new versions, and one of the most intriguing characters of all Arthurian literature is Merlin, the magician/ prophet who aids Arthur early in his reign. As the Arthurian saga develops, so does Merlin, changing from an aloof, druidical character into a more human, magical being, though always retaining some traces of his Welsh origins.

Three major themes that are present in the King Arthur legend, have transcended throughout hundreds of years of existence because of their ability to relate to everyday universal experiences. The reason that the King Arthur legend is so transparent through multiple generations and time periods is because of its simple themes that are an integral parts of the human experience. The King Arthur legend uses themes of redemption, the unknown, and morals to connect readers from multiple generations and cultures.

What role did the great King Arthur play in the way English Literature is perceived? Did King Arthur honestly exist? “Whether King Arthur existed or not is doubtful. However if King Arthur did exist, then he would have lived sometime between 400 AD and 600 AD, a time of turmoil in Britain following the Roman withdrawl. And a time when written literature did not exist, therefore events during this period are only known about from folklore passed down several generations before being written down, or from modern archeology giving insights from excavations of sites. If there was ever a true King Arthur in history, he would probably be Romano-British warleader, probably named Artorius, which is a Roman name for Arthur. Though the Roman

Although King Arthur is one of the most well-known figures in the world, his true identity remains a mystery. Attempts to identify the historical Arthur have been unsuccessful, since he is largely a product of fiction. Most historians, though, agree that the real Arthur was probably a battle leader of the Britons against the Anglo-Saxons in the sixthth century. In literature, King Arthur's character is unique and ever changing, taking on a different face in every work. There is never a clearly definitive picture that identifies Arthur's character. It is therefore necessary to look at a few different sources to get better insight into the character of Arthur, the once and future king.